MUMBAI, May 2 -- In a strongly worded affidavit before the Bombay High Court, former zonal director Sameer Wankhede has described the Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) issuance of notices to him over alleged irregularities in two cases he supervised as a "witch hunt" and a "media trial". The IRS officer has alleged that the agency deliberately "leaked sensitive details and confidential notices" to the press to settle personal scores and damage his public reputation. According to the affidavit, 11 notices were issued to Wankhede based on an alleged anonymous complaint received by former minister Nawab Malik in 2021. The complaint flagged purported irregularities in the arrest of a Nigerian drug peddler and in a drug case involving UK-based actress Sapna Pabbi, both cases supervised by Wankhede. Wankhede has contended that the NCB's action is retaliatory, linked to his high-profile investigations, including the 2021 Cordelia cruise drugs bust and the arrest of Malik's son-in-law, Sameer Khan, for alleged possession of narcotic substances. He approached the high court in 2024 through advocates Faiz Merchant and Faisal Shaikh, challenging the NCB summons issued on the basis of the anonymous complaints. In the affidavit filed on April 16, Wankhede claimed that the ongoing inquiry stems from Malik's "personal grudges" following the arrest of his son-in-law. "It is a matter of shame that an honest officer is being vilified and persecuted by his department at the behest of a tainted cabinet minister who is being prosecuted for having financial links with dreaded underworld terrorists," the affidavit stated. Wankhede alleged that former NCB deputy director general (DDG) Sanjay Singh had been leaking sensitive information to the media even before it was formally served to him, with the sole and ulterior motive of injuring his reputation and subjecting him and his family to a media trial, in violation of the All India Civil Service (Conduct) Rules, 1968. He said a copy of the original complaint was never served to him and claimed the agency was concocting evidence, adding that former DDG Singh was pursuing a personal grudge. Calling the preliminary inquiry a sham, he said a March 2024 notice showed Sapna Pabbi, described as an absconding accused, and Karan Sajnani had emerged as complainants. Expressing shock, he alleged a witch-hunt and said the NCB was compromising cases worth hundreds of crores....